Ireland’s most capped forward is deserving of the honour
The Limerick village of Cappamore is to pay tribute to one of its most famous sons by erecting a bench in honour of former Munster and Ireland prop John Hayes.
The 41-year-old retired from the game in 2011 having amassed 105 Ireland caps and more than 200 appearances for his province, earning the nickname The Bull for his indefatigable spirit on the field.
And it is on that nickname that a monument is to be created in his home village, as blacksmith Eric O’Neill has designed a bench in the shape of a bull that will be constructed in the coming weeks.
‘It is a charging bull with a rugby bull on the back of the bench,’ O’Neill said. ‘The ball is underneath his feet – it looks like he is trying to get hold of it.
‘The bench will be traditionally forged so you have a mixture of what you would expect to see in the village a hundred years ago with a modern piece of metalwork on top. The bull will be the centrepiece.
‘I’ve enjoyed the last 20 years of rugby. It is an honour to make something like that in steel in tribute to John and a game we all love here in Limerick,’ added O’Neill, who last year made a sculpture for the Pope.
We say well done to the Bruff man.
[h/t Limerick Leader]
